Cisco Intersight vs SolarWinds AppOptics comparison

Why PeerSpot?

Cisco and SolarWinds are both solutions in the IT Infrastructure Monitoring category. Cisco is ranked #10 with an average rating of 8.6, while SolarWinds is ranked #62. Cisco holds a 1.6% mindshare in IM, compared to SolarWinds’s 0.8% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 80% of SolarWinds users who would recommend it.

Cisco Intersight

Read 22 Cisco Intersight reviews

7,703 Views
5,392 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

SolarWinds AppOptics

Read 9 SolarWinds AppOptics reviews

4,474 Views
2,282 Comparison Views

80% willing to recommend

Cisco Intersight

SolarWinds AppOptics

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 9, 2024

SolarWinds AppOptics and Cisco Intersight both compete in the IT performance management sector. Cisco Intersight seems to have the upper hand due to its robust feature set and integration capabilities, justifying its higher cost for some businesses.

Features: SolarWinds AppOptics provides real-time performance monitoring, infrastructure visualization, and scalability for cloud and on-premises environments. Cisco Intersight offers extensive integration with Cisco's hardware and software ecosystems, advanced analytics, and AI-driven insights.

Room for Improvement: SolarWinds AppOptics could enhance its integration capabilities to match larger ecosystems, expand analytics features, and improve AI functionalities. Cisco Intersight may focus on simplifying its deployment process, reducing costs, and broadening its support beyond Cisco technologies.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SolarWinds AppOptics offers a straightforward deployment process with an emphasis on quick setup and responsive customer support. Cisco Intersight provides a sophisticated deployment option with deep integration but may require a more involved setup, benefiting organizations within a Cisco-driven environment.

Pricing and ROI: SolarWinds AppOptics generally presents a lower initial setup cost, appealing to smaller businesses with budget constraints, showing potential for cost-effective ROI. Cisco Intersight, although pricier, provides substantial ROI through its comprehensive features and integrations, especially for enterprises seeking advanced IT capabilities.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Intersight vs. SolarWinds AppOptics Report (Updated: September 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Intersight vs. SolarWinds AppOptics

September 2026

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Helped 915,341 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Intersight

Ranking in IT Infrastructure Monitoring

10th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Cloud Management (5th)

SolarWinds AppOptics

Ranking in IT Infrastructure Monitoring

62nd

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability (56th), Cloud Monitoring Software (44th)

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2026, in the IT Infrastructure Monitoring category, the mindshare of Cisco Intersight is 1.6%, down from 1.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SolarWinds AppOptics is 0.8%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

IT Infrastructure Monitoring Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Cisco Intersight	1.6%
SolarWinds AppOptics	0.8%
Other	97.6%

IT Infrastructure Monitoring

Featured Reviews

AbhinavSingh

Technical Marketing Engineer Hybrid Cloud Infrastructures at NetApp

Centralized policies have simplified hybrid operations and now support automated workflows

The challenge could be if there are any bugs. Most of the time, you may feel that the TCAM resources are getting full on the Nexus just because of some bug or the configuration is not supported. Or sometimes, if there are any vulnerabilities happening on the current running firmware, those are challenges we have. And if you talk about from the compute side, there were initial bugs such as a CPU throttle issue. Because of that, the chassis was not running in an optimum way. You may see performance issues during that time. For that, Cisco released a patch, and it got fixed. I think Cisco Intersight should allow more automation capabilities. It should be more open, and it should provide more automation capabilities. I think there is also a scope of making it a little bit simpler because a lot of policy and config sometimes becomes confusing for the user because it has a lot of config. Maybe they can do a little bit of simplification with Cisco Intersight.

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John Yuko

Assistant Manager ICT - Projects at I&M Bank Ltd

Unique features allow consolidating and combing metrics into a single dashboard, but don't monitor mobile solutions

I would like to see more granular information provided on Unix applications. Also, the integration with Unix services should be a bit more straightforward in terms having an agent to retrieve your credentials rather than having to enter or save them for SSH on SolarWinds. From the outset, we had to set some commands to log into the search console, and they are saved on the solution, which presents a challenge in terms of exposure. The solution is unable to monitor APK solutions completely because we'd then be forced to break down the APK and provide the APIs or go through the source code. They don't have a module that can analyze an application that is maybe under-used.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The tool helps to manage Cisco servers."

"Scalable portfolio of services for remote device management, with good cloud integration. It's also easy to set up."

"The most valuable features I find in Cisco Intersight include the fact that it's a cloud-managed solution, which automates the process when a part on the server goes faulty, for example, if you have a module that goes faulty, automatically a TAC case opens at the Cisco level, and everything is automated, meaning there's no need to check for this."

"Our organization uses Cisco Intersight since it helps manage our physical infrastructure."

"Cisco Intersight allows us to manage our data center remotely, which is crucial as our data center is located in a different physical environment."

"The features enable you to abstract the server personality away from the hardware, similar to the B-Series."

"Cisco Intersight has positively impacted my organization by providing more automation and less manual work, as everything can be automatic after registration to Cisco Intersight and offering more visibility as well."

"Intersight offers many features that provide great value to companies."

More Cisco Intersight pros

"Technical support is always live and they're supportive."

"The product has a great dashboard."

"SolarWinds AppOptics does far more than what an individual may realize; it is not just a SIEM tool."

"Some of the most valuable features of SolarWinds are the topology discovery and network performance analysis."

"AppNeta provides a range of products, all based around intelligent network testing algorithms."

"The sum solution, NTA, and DPA."

"The reporting of the solution is very good."

"Customer service is exceptional, as they are very much in tune with our service needs and are always in contact for both enhancement requests and overall satisfaction."

More SolarWinds AppOptics pros

Cons

"I would like AI to be more integrated into Cisco Intersight."

"The unique problem with Cisco Intersight is that it's not supporting some players."

"In the future, the solution needs to plan on an extension to cover a broader range of objects since, at present, there are some Cisco devices within the range of Intersight UCS that it can't manage."

"The product could be easy to use, similar to CloudIQ."

"There is a significant issue regarding migration from UCS Manager into Intersight without formatting the Fabric Interconnects (FI), which is problematic in a production environment."

"The usability must be better."

"An area for improvement in Cisco Intersight is automation. It needs more automation capabilities. Apart from enhanced automation, I want Cisco Intersight to integrate with third-party monitoring tools in its next release."

"Cisco Intersight should allow for more automation capabilities and be more open."

More Cisco Intersight cons

"The support is not too bad, but also not very good—it's quite standard."

"The integration with Unix services should be a bit more straightforward."

"We had a stability issue with a portion of the installation (Sequencer) when it was first introduced and have chosen not to install that specific function."

"In terms of the technology, I think they need to put some more advanced troubleshooting into SolarWinds, in terms of AI capabilities. That's the next generation, especially in the cases of APIs which have already adopted AI capabilities into their products."

"AppOptics would benefit from having a much more centralized view."

"I would like to see more integration with other tools that are available on the market."

"Because of its inability to monitor mobile solutions, I would rate this solution as a seven out of ten."

"I'd like to see the ability to use other internal instrumented applications as filters in the overview/aggregation screen."

More SolarWinds AppOptics cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It's just the standard licensing cost. There are no additional fees."

"Cisco Intersight has competitive pricing. On a scale of one to five, my rating for its pricing is four."

"Cisco Intersight is not cheap, but it's not the most expensive product either."

"You can get a free license for monitoring but need to purchase a license if you need extra control."

"The product is cost-effective."

"I believe the current licensing cost is reasonable."

"Since it's a negotiable rate, I would rate the pricing as a five out of five."

"Mostly, it's a perpetual license. We don't have any customers using the subscription right now—it's mostly a perpetual license that the customers purchase. The licensing is based on the number of elements, whereas other solutions are node-based."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

Healthcare Company

Construction Company

13%

Outsourcing Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	10
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	10

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	2
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	7

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Cisco Intersight?

Regarding improvements for Cisco Intersight, I would say more third-party integration is needed. At the moment it does have a basic integration of Pure Storage, so I can add my Pure Storage if I ha...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Cisco Intersight?

My main use case for Cisco Intersight is to register our Cisco UCS servers and apply profiles to our servers with configurations, firmware deployment automatically, and install the operating system...

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What advice do you have for others considering Cisco Intersight?

I would rate Cisco Intersight a nine out of ten. I give it a nine because personally, I think it is one of the best management tools ever. I have worked before with different server vendors and dif...

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Comparisons

Cisco UCS Manager vs Cisco Intersight

Compared 39% of the time

HPE OneView vs Cisco Intersight

Compared 4% of the time

Cisco UCS Director vs Cisco Intersight

Compared 3% of the time

VMware Aria Automation vs Cisco Intersight

Compared 3% of the time

VMware Aria Operations vs Cisco Intersight

Compared 3% of the time

More Cisco Intersight Competitors

New Relic vs SolarWinds AppOptics

Compared 9% of the time

OpenText Real User Monitoring vs SolarWinds AppOptics

Compared 7% of the time

Zabbix vs SolarWinds AppOptics

Compared 6% of the time

Dynatrace vs SolarWinds AppOptics

Compared 6% of the time

Splunk AppDynamics vs SolarWinds AppOptics

Compared 4% of the time

More SolarWinds AppOptics Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Intersight

October 2026

Download Cisco Intersight product report

Buyer's Guide

Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability

September 2026

Download SolarWinds AppOptics product report

Also Known As

Intersight

AppOptics, SolarWinds TraceView, Librato

Overview

Cisco Intersight delivers advanced data center management with cloud integration, remote server scaling, and predictive analytics, promoting efficient infrastructure management. It supports hybrid environments and is suitable for scaling across enterprises.

Cisco Intersight offers a comprehensive view of data centers with seamless cloud platform integration, enhancing manageability across environments. It is known for workflow automation, inventory management, and predictive analysis, allowing users to optimize workloads. Users leverage its scalability and ease of use, with features that aid in remote management and integration with both Cisco and non-Cisco products. However, improvements are needed in usability, automation, and third-party tool integration, especially for on-premises and hybrid cloud management. Users often face challenges with firmware management and transitioning from UCS Manager. Desired enhancements include better software compatibility, third-party integrations, expanded microservices support, enhanced AI features, and more automation capabilities, addressing setup complexity, support, and high maintenance costs.

What are the main features of Cisco Intersight?

Data Center Management: Provides insights into data centers with comprehensive monitoring.
Cloud Integration: Enables integration with cloud platforms for enhanced workflows.
Remote Management: Facilitates remote management of data center environments.
Predictive Analytics: Offers analysis tools for workload optimization and planning.
Scalability: Capable of scaling with enterprise infrastructure needs.

What are the expected benefits of using Cisco Intersight?

Improved Infrastructure Management: Offers tools for efficient management across environments.
Enhanced Workflow Automation: Reduces manual tasks with automation capabilities.
Cost-Effective Operations: Promotes efficiency and reduces maintenance costs.
Comprehensive Integration: Supports seamless integration with diverse platforms and technologies.
Performance Optimization: Utilizes predictive analytics for optimizing system performance.

In industries where data center management and integration are critical, such as finance, healthcare, and telecommunications, Cisco Intersight is used to monitor and manage infrastructure across multiple sites. Its capability to combine platforms like HyperFlex and VMware allows organizations to maintain hardware status effectively, supporting both on-premises and cloud environments for efficient service delivery.

Cisco

SolarWinds AppOptics offers powerful network performance monitoring and application insights, aiding enterprises in optimizing operations.

SolarWinds AppOptics provides comprehensive tools for network and application performance management. This platform enhances real-time monitoring capabilities, offering topology discovery and hop-by-hop performance analysis. With a focus on minimal configuration, users gain extraordinary visibility into service-oriented architecture applications and are equipped to identify performance issues efficiently. The dashboard's integration capabilities streamline application performance data, empowering organizations with robust reporting features. The deployment is popularly on-premises, yet improvements are desired in pricing strategy and integrations with existing tools.

What are the important features of SolarWinds AppOptics?

Topology Discovery: Facilitates understanding of network structure and connections.
Real-Time Monitoring: Delivers current data to monitor system performance live.
Heat Maps: Provides visual insights into network traffic patterns and performance metrics.
Pathview Monitoring: Enables tracking and evaluation of network performance per segment.
Integration Capabilities: Supports metrics integration for comprehensive system monitoring.

What benefits and ROI should users expect?

Efficiency in Issue Resolution: Swift identification of network bottlenecks and performance issues.
Enhanced Reporting: In-depth reports facilitating data-driven decisions.
Increased Visibility: Comprehensive insights into application and network activities.
Minimal Configuration: Quick setup enabling immediate utility and productivity.

SolarWinds AppOptics is widely used in network operations within enterprises, also extending to server and application monitoring. Deployed to track servers and network devices, it aids in analyzation of logs and data across environments, and is essential for service management. Specific industries benefit from detailed deployment inventory and management portfolios enabled by AppOptics.

SolarWinds

Sample Customers

EXMAR, RapidScale

TraxoCovea Insurance BTE TechnologyDatarista

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Intersight vs. SolarWinds AppOptics

September 2026

Free Report: Cisco Intersight vs. SolarWinds AppOptics

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Intersight vs. SolarWinds AppOptics and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.

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